The present invention relates to remotely-operated surveillance systems and in particular to an extended-life video camera system and method.
In the description and claims with follow hereinbelow, the expression “monitored region” means an area that is monitored by a security system. The monitored region could be a room or many rooms within a building or another defined monitored region. In similar fashion, in the description and claims with follow hereinbelow, the term “viewing region” is meant to be a monitored region where one or more radiation sensors and/or cameras are employed to view the monitored region, as part of a security system.
Frequently, with current security systems, when an alarm is sounded by the security system protecting a monitored region a central monitoring station (CMS) does not have specific information as to the nature of the alarm. In fact, the alarm could be false or real. In the case of a real alarm it could be either human error (i.e. owner entering his home without disarming the system) or a real burglary/intrusion.
To better ascertain the nature of the alarm, some systems allow a human operator working with the CMS, using the alarm system, to listen to voices or other sounds in the monitored region. Based on those voices/sounds the operator can decide whether to alert the police or to decide upon a false alarm. In many cases such voice verification is not sufficient to determine/understand what is taking place in the monitored region. As a result, the operator is frequently compelled to alert the police—even though the alarm has not been better verified as false or real.
The term “real alarm integrity”, as used in the description and claims which follow hereinbelow, is intended to mean the robustness of a real alarm determination, in distinction between a false and a real alarm, as described above. The term “enhance real alarm integrity” is therefore intended to mean better determining and enhancing the reliability and robustness of a real alarm.
In many countries today there is a demand for additional sensor and video verification of an alarm to enhance real alarm integrity.
Some security systems employ a passive infrared (PIR) detector to sense the presence of a heat-radiating body (i.e., such a heat-radiating body would typically indicate the presence of an unauthorized person) in its field of view in the monitored region. A single sensor can be used to provide a signal, which when suitably processed and compared with a predetermined condition, can indicate, for example, the presence of an unauthorized person. However, the use of a single sensor is also likely to detect other effects (e.g. air disturbance, heating, pets, etc) which may also match predetermined conditions—and a false alarm may occur. Including a video camera in the system can contribute to enhancing real alarm integrity.
Davis, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,936,666, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, describes a system for combining a PIR sensor and a video CCD device. Among other features, there is an apparatus which includes at least two sensors whose overlapping fields of view are matched by sectorization. Sensor signal output processing of a high resolution sensor and a low resolution sensor provide a detection device which achieves a substantially higher performance over devices which only logically combine the outputs of two individual detectors. In a particular embodiment, the high resolution sensor senses a visible wavelength, such as by video camera, and the low resolution is an infrared thermal sensor.
Renkis, in US Patent Publication no. 2006/0075065 A1, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, describes a surveillance system for wireless communication between components comprising: a base system including at least two wireless input capture devices (ICDs), the ICDs having at least one sensor and at least one input component for detecting and recording inputs, a processor, a memory, a transmitter/receiver, all constructed and configured in electronic connection; wherein the ICDs are operable for wireless cross-communication with each other, following a single click-select action by a user on a user interface with the system. Renkis describes one of the ICD's as a conventional light video camera and/or an IR video camera.
Few details as to the power source of the prior art systems are described; and it appears that the systems are limited in that they are not truly remote, since no battery power is used; rather mains power is employed. Furthermore, the overall prior art systems appear to utilize more expensive components. In general, attention to system component and overall cost and energy consumption appear to be lacking in prior art systems.
There is therefore a need for a reliable, cost-effective, extended-life video camera system that enhances real alarm integrity.